<p>To make a long story short..... my undergraduate work seems to be steering me more towards the historical study of religion, but I'm starting to become more interested in value-theory. The only PhD program I can get excited about right now is something in Religious/Theological Ethics. Would it be a waste of time for me to even bother going in that direction if all my prior work has been historical, rather than philosophical/ethical, in nature? I'll graduate next Spring with degrees in History and Classical Studies (and 3/4 of a minor in philosophy.... for what it's worth!)</p>
<p>Should I consider doing some kind of master's degree in religious ethics to prepare for a PhD program? The only ones I know of at the moment are at Notre Dame (MTS in Moral Theology) and the Graduate Theological Union out in Berkeley (MA in Ethics and Social Theory/Religion and Society).</p>
<p>Or should I just suck it up, get my MA in the history of Christianity, and be a high school world history teacher? Librarian?? Pizza Hut delivery driver???</p>
<p>I’m sure there are many more master’s programs in religious and/or social ethics than the two of which you are aware (e.g., Boston U, Fordham), and an internet search would turn up more. Some of these might be a sub-concentration in ethics within a theology master’s program; others might be specialty programs. Are you considering programs in both graduate religion/theology depts and programs in graduate schools of theology? (I have a nephew at Princeton Theological Seminary doing a doctorate in Church History. His undergrad majors were classics + theology, but his undergrad coursework was not heavily focused on historical studies. He also entered the program not entirely sure in what subfield he would concentrate.) </p>
<p>A master’s as prep for a PhD might be one way to go, particularly if you think other applicants to a doctoral program might have a stronger background in ethics & value theory (for an undergrad philosophy major—not necessarily the case if they spread their courses around the philosophy subfields instead of taking multiple courses in ethics and value theory, and also not necessarily the case for an undergrad religion or theology major if they distributed their courses in several areas of the field). Other applicants would not necessarily have been expected to specialize at the undergrad level. You also might be able to take upper division undergrad courses in ethics as cognates in a graduate program. </p>
<p>I don’t know why majors in History + Classics with a partial Philosophy minor would not be a good background for the study of ethics. In a theology grad program, you may need classical languages to access primary sources (e.g., the Patristics), so you’re in good shape there. Also, ethical thought doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it has a historical development and its application requires a context. Certainly, many theologians who wrote on ethical issues were well-grounded in a historical context, e.g., Niebuhr’s discussions of war. </p>
<p>Finally, seek out the advice of professors at your school that teach in the area of ethics.</p>
<p>By comparison to others I have seen, you are discussing a minor change of direction. Grad programs understand that those coming in may need some additional coursework to prepare them for thesis research, and build that into their programs. In your case, that additional work should be minor, possibly within the range of what they would expect for someone who HAD specifically prepared for that subfield. The other big consideration is whether or not you are prepared for the rigors of research, and in your case - assuming you have a strong transcript and LOR’s - it should not be a problem.</p>
<p>This isn’t a huge change of direction, stay true to yourself and do want you feel is best, I’m sure you can make any necessary adjustments</p>